Criteria for determining quality are the main parameters on the basis of which the consumer makes a choice of a product, and also decides to use certain services. However, an ordinary person, as a rule, is not able to give a qualified assessment of the product. To solve such problems, mandatory and voluntary certification is provided by special bodies.
These procedures allow you to initially insure potential consumers from the use of goods and services that do not meet the declared characteristics and properties. But if the situation with the mandatory certification is more or less clear for manufacturers and responsible authorities, then the features of the voluntary conformity certification procedure can raise many questions.
Certification Overview
As already noted, certification of products and services allows for control product quality On the market. More precisely, this procedure excludes the possibility of admitting low-quality products to the consumer by analyzing its characteristics regarding their compliance with regulatory indicators. The manufacturer or supplier of goods who plans to sell them on the market, when passing customs or supplying suppliers, must expose the products to certification.
The availability of relevant documents is the basis for the legitimate sale or provision of certain services. However, mandatory and voluntary certification are used not only to determine the object for compliance with consumer qualities. For example, already at the stages of production, regulations are in force indicating the properties that the objects used in the manufacturing process should possess. These properties are important not so much for the consumer as for a more efficient production activity, cost-effective for the enterprise itself and environmentally friendly for the environment.
What are the features of voluntary certification
The fundamental difference between conducting this procedure on a voluntary basis is the existence of an agreement between the certification body and the applicant, which was drawn up at the initiative of the latter. Voluntary certification is carried out according to general principles, that is, in the course of the process, the compliance of an object with certain rules, organization regulations or national standards. In this case, the applicant himself can determine in accordance with what requirements and standards should be investigated products.
It would seem that active participation in the process and organization of this procedure on the part of the initiator itself should quite logically affect the quality of such verification of compliance. Nevertheless, all the methods and methods that provide for the certification of products on a voluntary basis, allow you to determine the required characteristics with the same degree of reliability that is expected in the case of mandatory certification of quality.
Why do voluntary certification
Passing certification often becomes a painstaking and costly process for the applicant. In any case, it takes time and payment of various organizational expenses. So the question is, what is the meaning of voluntary certification, if you can do without it and save yourself from the hassle.The fact is that applicants in the form of manufacturers and distributors of products consider the availability of quality certificates as a marketing tool, and it is quite legal and has real power in the eyes of the consumer. As a result, certification allows you to increase sales, stimulate and increase demand for goods and services. Moreover, documents proving the quality of products are important not only for the end user, but also play an important role in the trust between the manufacturer and the supplier.
Voluntary certification bodies
Regardless of how this procedure is carried out (on a mandatory basis or on a voluntary basis), a certification center with special accreditation participates in it. An applicant who voluntarily decides to receive documents certifying the quality of products may apply to a legal entity or individual entrepreneur providing such services.
Voluntary certification bodies perform the following functions:
- Confirm that products and services meet certain standards.
- Provide certificates for facilities that have successfully passed the voluntary procedure of checking their compliance with established characteristics.
- Terminate or suspend the certificates that they issued.
For the applicant, the most important sign of conformity the right to use which is also granted by his certification authority on a voluntary basis. Using this designation, the manufacturer or distributor can inform their customers about the characteristics of their products.
Certification of goods and services - what are the differences
Documents and regulations that make it possible to verify the quality of a product are more familiar and understandable to interested consumers. These may be standards for determining product quality, sanitary standards, etc. In turn, certification of services often implies compliance with the technical regulations proposed by the contractor, construction standards, safety rules and standards that are provided for certain types of work operations.
In recent years, other types of certification have become in demand, concerning management and personnel. In part, these areas affect the technological and organizational rules that apply to enterprises. For example, voluntary certification of management is often carried out at the facilities of the food industry, in companies involved in ensuring information security, etc.
Certification Procedure
Regardless of which product is being certified, verification of its conformity is the same. The applicant applies to the certification body, submits an application and provides documents. If certification of domestically manufactured goods is planned, then the list of documents will be as follows:
- Application, supported by the signature of the head and seal of the applicant company.
- Registration documents of the enterprise.
- Certificate of tax registration.
- Copy of the organization’s charter.
- Documents for the manufactured product.
- User's manual.
If voluntary certification of imported products is expected, then a Russian-language sample of the operating instructions and a power of attorney from the manufacturer should also be provided - in the case of an application from its representatives.
Certification Documents
The result of certification procedures is a document that certifies the conformity of a product or service to certain characteristics, regulations, codes of practice and regulations. Again, if the study of the object is carried out at the initiative of the applicant, he himself chooses the standards by which verification is carried out. Based on this installation, certification of compliance is carried out, which gives the right to receive a quality badge. Also important is the declaration of conformity.This is a document that confirms that the manufactured goods comply with the standards technical regulations.
Conclusion
Confirmation of quality is the most important stage, having passed which, the products enter the market. At the same time, the certification of services and goods on a voluntary basis with its relevance indicates the importance of a certificate of quality compliance not only for the consumer, but also for the manufacturers themselves. Although in this case we are not talking about the category of goods that can potentially pose a high risk of exploitation or use, their certification is important for increasing competitiveness and expanding the choice for buyers and users of services.
